Say Hello to Bruce!

My name is Bruce and I have a problem…er…I like to play Magic. Yes, that’s it! I like to play Magic. I got into the game as a kid back when Revised/Fallen Empires/Ice Age (circa 1995ish?) were all the rage and loved it. I have very fond memories of spending Saturday afternoon over at my friend’s house playing endless games, losing, but loving every second of it. I was never very good, but the idea of Magic immediately resonated with me and I really enjoyed the time with my friends sitting around a table.

Fast forward to the summer of 2012 and I am the director at a residential summer camp and some of my counselors are playing Magic out in one of the lodges with some campers. I immediately recognized the game and I was hooked all over again. Since then I have gone on a healthy mission to bring myself up to speed on Magic, the theory, the lore, and almost everything Magic related.

I would be what you call a Casual player but I am slightly different than most. Most people figure that the term “casual” refers to playing Commander. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played Commander and enjoy the format, but it is not the only thing to play. I typically play 60 card multiplayer casually with my buddies when we get together. We usually try to set something up once a month and will play until we can’t keep our eyes open any longer. We have a blast and some of the funniest things have taken place ensuring that everyone has a good time. Now, 3 plus years later, playing in these casual multiplayer games is still my favorite way of playing magic and has me eager for each time we get together to play.

However, if I only play once a month, how do I stay involved in Magic the other 30 days of the month? In February 2014 I started to write for a website out of Montreal called Three Kings Loot and they have given me the opportunity to write and expound on virtually anything I want. I can literally right about anything from Vorthos material, to Limited, to Casual brews, to just about anything else that really catches my fancy. They have been terrific and really helped me get started and I still have a weekly column I do for them called Casual Encounters.

In addition to my writing and some casual playing, I have have been listening to plenty of podcasts. When I was home with my first son I found that the podcasts and ties to the larger Magic community were very helpful in helping me get through each day. Don’t for a second think that I didn’t love spending the time with my son, but the brain craves stimulation too, and the MTG podcasts were terrific. I found MTGYOU very early on in my stay at home and listened to it weekly. I had many lively exchanges with Daemon, Rich, James, and Blades via email and really enjoyed the entertainment they offered. It was largely due to them encouraging people to go out and try new things in Magic that helped me to gain up enough courage to try my hand at playing MTGO a little more seriously as a way to broaden my experience and to improve my game. I took playing MTGO more seriously and love to Draft. I’m no Limited expert, but I feel like I am reasonably knowledgeable and I like the experience of starting each new draft.

So, where does that leave me now? Who am I? I am a Casual player who enjoys Limited, and writes about just about every facet of Magic that catches my interest. In short, I’m a jack of all trades and I’m happy to give back to the Magic community, and MTGYOU in particular, by offering whatever insights I happen to have. I intend to stick to my roots, and write about just about anything and everything ranging from Limited Crack a Packs and Sealed strategy, to Casual budget decks I’ve brewed up, to Vorthos takes on the happenings of the multiverse. So, stay tuned because you never can be quite sure where I’m going next.

I want to offer a big thank you to guys here at MTGYOU for offering me chance to contribute to their Magic community and reach out to all of you. I’m super excited to get started and look forward to sharing ideas, experiences, and successes with all of you as we continue to try and grow the MTGYOU community.

If you are interested in reaching out to me, the easiest way is to hit me up on Twitter at @bgray8791 or leave a comment and I’ll do my best to get back to you ASAP.